As society pays more attention to carers, the social welfare sector has expanded its services in recent years to support their needs. Most of these services aim to provide respite opportunities, alleviate feelings of isolation, and reduce the stress associated with caregiving. However, statistics show that the vast majority of carers are women, highlighting a clear gendered division of labor. This raises the question of whether current caregiving services have truly addressed the core issues at hand.
Hong Kong Federation of Women’s Centres (HKFWC), in collaboration with Saint Francis University, hosted a sharing session on "Sharing on Carer Service with Gender Perspective." The event shared insights from the "CARE- Carer Mental Health Support Hotline Service" and fostered industry exchanges on “non-professional”caregiving support services. It also explored the possibilities and challenges of integrating a gender perspective into caregiving services. The session aimed to strengthen the dialogue within the social welfare sector and build a more robust and gender-sensitive support network for caregivers.
We extend our gratitude to Dr. Doris Fok and Dr. Ka Fung from Saint Francis University, Mr. Alan Chan, Officer-in-charge of Jockey Club Tai Wo Centre, Ms Susan Wong, Social Worker of the CARE- Carer Mental Health Support Hotline Service, volunteer Chiu Ping from the program, and Ms Chiu Sin Ting, Senior Manager of the CFSC Christian Family Service Centre’s Emergency Caregiver Support Service, along with all participants for their valuable contributions. Their active engagement facilitated discussions on non-professional caregiving support, the redefinition of family roles, and the challenges of integrating a gender perspective into caregiving services.
Dr. Doris Fok also introduced the “Gender Impact Assessment” tool, encouraging more service programs to adopt it for impact evaluation. The goal is to build a gender-inclusive service database and promote the long-term development of social services.